Well well well... book 40 and still, for me anyway, as fresh as a daisy! This author is definitely one of my - don't even need to read the blurb to know I am going to love the book - authors. And he delivers every single time! This book being no exception to that. It's a great feeling when you open a book and reconnect with friends who have been with you for ages... I'm sure it's not just me... This time Detective Milo Sturgis and his "consultant" Psychologist (and best friend) Alex Delaware are called to the scene of the death of a young aspiring actress, dumped at a hospital. Fingers swiftly start to point to a stunt double but he is killed before the case against him really gets going. Interestingly, the gun used in his death is linked back to several others... The body count increases at every turn, all men with dubious "interest" in women and how they should be treated. It appears maybe that someone is acting out some king of vigilante cleansing... but who and, more importantly, how do they bring it all to an end before the body count rises yet higher? As already mentioned, I love this author and, indeed, this book. After all this time I do actually have a strong bond with all the main characters, yes, even Blanche! I love the interaction between Alex and Milo, as chalk and cheese as you can probably get but with the same values and drives. And the stories that the author sets for them fit them all just perfectly. Obviously you will have a better time with this book if you are familiar with the characters and their journeys thus far, but I do appreciate that you might not have the time or energy, or patience, to go back and read all 39 previous. To be honest, I got into the series late and, although I have now read all the books, I didn't do it in the right order and it has done me no harm at all...! So... this book has everything I need to make a good book a great read. I have already mentioned the characters and the story, but there is also the writing style. The pacing fitting the narrative, the absence of superfluous waffle and the balance between the crime and ongoing personal lives, all being perfectly executed to my satisfaction. I could bang on about this author forever as he is definitely top 5 for me. But I do have other things to do. My tbr won't read itself!

Alex and Milo are back and this story doesn’t disappoint. A person is shooting people who are seemingly unconnected and don’t appear to have anything in common . Can the duo stop the killings? Perfectly written by Kellerman , I find this series just as strong and enjoyable on the fortieth book as I did reading the first one . The writing moves at a fair pace and comes to a satisfying conclusion. Another enjoyable read from Kellerman. Thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Cornerstone.

This is the fortieth book in a series featuring LAPD Lieutenant Milo Sturgis and his sidekick, psychologist Alex Delaware. I’ve only dipped into this series a few times and with, in truth, mixed success. But I did really enjoy one of the more recent episodes, so I was hoping for more of the same from this one. It starts with a mysterious figure dumping a body outside of a hospital in the dead of night. The hospital entrance camera catches images of the act, but with insufficient clarity to provide any substantive clues as to the identity of the perpetrator. Enter Milo, a loud all-action figure who’s eating whenever he’s not talking. I confess I don’t fully understand how it is that this partnership has become routine – I simply haven’t read enough books in the series and have therefore missed large portions of their back story. However, it’s obvious that the pair are pretty much welded at the hip. The chemistry between them is drawn really well, with plenty of friendly teasing and with ideas flowing freely as they attempt to make sense of this grim act. But does Milo somewhat overplay his obvious awe at what he perceives to be Alex’s superior brainpower? Perhaps, although this is really just a minor gripe on my part. The energy and playful banter between the two of them reminds me of another duo of LA based investigators: Elvis Cole and Joe Pike, brought to life in nearly as many episodes by the brilliant Robert Crais. And also, but to a somewhat lesser extent, Myron Bolitar and Windsor Horne Lockwood, Harlen Coben’s NYC based twosome. In each pairing, the emotional interactions between the two characters carry a great deal of weight. In addition, each offers up something the other lacks. In the case of Crais and Coben there’s a lead investigator and a partner who adds a sinister degree of muscle and violence. But it’s somewhat different here, with the pair rather sharing the investigative load, but with Alex providing insights that Milo just doesn’t have the background to have alighted upon himself. It’s an interesting and well-paced tale. It kept me entertained and involved to the extent I found myself reading late into the night, eager to know what was going to happen next, and how this case was going to play out. It really is very well done. But is it a book that would cause me to diligently work through the thirty plus books I’ve missed in this series? Possibly not. But I certainly won’t be averse to dipping in a few more times of that I’m sure.

40 books into a series there is a certain amount you know to expect... Alex and Milo are the duo who will solve this mystery and there are some of the B list supporting cast. I like that this series has moved closer back to it's original routes and whilst we would not be expecting a child psychologist to be the mastermind solver for any murders and especially not be going out playing detective in the real world the story is closer to realistic than it was getting 10 or so books ago. This outing is a shooter either being hired to kill or serial killer / vigilante..this is for Alex and Milo to work out and find all the victims and what ties them together. At some point these characters will age and need to retire but their sidekick detectives could step up right?? Whilst I appreciate Kellerman's knowledge to provide the traffic geography it is completely beyond me (and I would imagine for most people reading the books), so it always seems unnecessary..unless there is ever going to be map included?! Open Season is easy to read and isn't gory or graphic.